anti-graft Photo: VCG

Guo Qigang, the former Party secretary of the State Development & Investment Corp (SDIC) Power Holding Co, a subsidiary of the SDIC, returned to China and succumbed to the judicial authorities after fleeing abroad for four years.

Guo has been pursued by the authorities for suspected serious duty violations. 

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), China's top anti-graft body, announced on Wednesday that Guo fled China in July 2019 on suspicion of serious duty violations and relevant crimes. The judicial authorities earlier seized and frozen his property in accordance with law.

An official familiar with the case said that the return of Guo to face justice in China marks a significant step for the nation's deepening of the crackdown on corruption across state-owned enterprises, and the continued implementation of the Operation Sky Net, the global hunt for corrupt Chinese fugitives. 

The official urged fugitives to abandon illusions and seize the opportunity to return to China as soon as possible in order to seek more lenient treatment.

China kicked off a comprehensive anti-corruption operation, also called Operation Sky Net in March, and will further build its integrated mechanism for pursuing fugitives, preventing escape, and retrieving stolen assets, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

As of the 20th Party Congress, a total of 10,668 fugitives have returned to China with the implementation of the Operation Sky Net, with 44.79 billion yuan ($6.22 billion) in stolen funds being recouped, according to official data. 

Global Times